Never before has so much new information been available on the link between Oral Care and general health. Researchers stumbled upon this link when assessing patients with gum disease and noted a remarkable improvement in their general health when Periodontal treatment was performed.
In taking the research further, researchers were able to determine the link between the quantity of plaque bacteria and the increased risk of developing a heart attack. These studies made a significant contribution to understanding the multi-factorial causative factors of heart disease. Any increased ‘risk’ was one too many.
One research paper investigated 150 patients who had suffered a myocardial infarction and found these patients to have significantly higher levels of plaque bacteria in their sub-gingival plaque. Another study found the DNA from different types of plaque bacteria in the patient’s heart arteries. These studies helped to prove that bacteria from an infected and inflamed area were able to enter the sterile blood stream by opening up pores in the blood vessels and then travelling to other parts of the body, causing massive harm.
The article goes on to state that a city would not permit a garbage dump to be located upstream to the city’s water supply river. Inflamed gums act in a similar manner and ‘pollutants’ enter the sterile arteries freely.
Heart valves and arteries seem most vulnerable to the traveling bacteria and therefore it is our advice to patients that deep scaling and regular periodontal treatment can only be beneficial to your well-being. This is even more significant in patients with other risk factors for heart disease i.e. familial history, stress, high alcohol consumption, diabetes, smoking etc.
To prevent heart disease, we must eliminate all risk factors sooner than later. If you would like to have additional information on Periodontal disease or would like an assessment of your Oral Health, please contact us.
We want YOU to choose US for your journey to excellent Oral care.